LaLu Week 2016
by rhosinthorn
Summary: It started with a broken key, and a dream. Desperate to find Aquarius's key, Lucy sets out on a journey that takes her all over Fiore. Makarov's only stipulation? That she takes an S-class mage. He expects her to pick Erza. She chooses Laxus.
1. Aquarius

**Aquarius:**

Lucy bolted upright, gasping for breath. The dream had been so vivid, so real…"Open, Gate of the Southern Cross!"

In a burst of light, the spirit she considered as a grandfather was before her, as ancient as ever. "How can I be of service, miss Lucy?"

"Crux, I need you to tell me something, and I need the absolute truth." Lucy knew that there were some things about the spirit world that humans simply couldn't be told, but this time she needed the facts, not whatever truth was devised to protect the spirits she fought alongside. "If you cannot tell me, just say that, but don't lie to me to protect anyone."

When she had the answering nod, Lucy continued, eyes deadly serious. "Can a key that was broken to summon the Spirit King be remade?"

"No," the spirit said slowly, and Lucy felt her heart sink. _Just another wishful dream_.

His follow-up statement, however, made her heart soar. "But a new key _can_ reappear somewhere in the world."

* * *

Makarov sighed as he looked out over the rambunctious group of people that he referred to as his brats. The guild had been his family since the beginning, and now they were his responsibility. _Even if that responsibility means sending them out on their own from time to time to teach them how to fly without the safety net of the guild_. He deeply regretted the pain that he had caused by disbanding the guild a year before, but after the disaster that had been created by Tartarus…everyone needed that year. It may have hurt like hell, but the guild was stronger because of it.

His eyes fell on his grandson, leaning against the bar and talking to Cana, who appeared to be prepositioning him yet again. Laxus's excommunication had been for different reasons, but it had made his grandson into an admirable young man. The man standing before him was one he would be proud to hand over the reins to, in the future.

The guild doors slamming open drew his attention to another blonde, hurrying up the stairs towards him. _She hasn't looked the same since she returned_. Everyone knew that Lucy Heartfilia had quieted since the events of Tartarus, but not even Natsu could explain why. Makarov worried about the subdued young woman, knowing that even in the depths of her despair over the conflict with Phantom Lord, she hadn't looked as depressed as she did now. "Lucy, how can I help you?" he asked, seeing her approaching.

"Can I speak with you in your office Master?" she asked softly, and Makarov was thrilled to see a faint spark in her eye.

"Of course," he said, hopping off the railing and heading to his office, the light steps of Lucy behind him. _If she didn't seem to want privacy, I would ask Laxus to sit in on this…it would be good for him to experience something like this._

Once seated behind his desk, Makarov looked at the blonde perched on the edge of the chair in front of him. "Now, what is it that you wanted to speak with me about my dear?"

She fidgeted slightly, before drawing a deep breath and plunging into her request. "Master, I'd like to request a leave of absence for an unknown period of time."

Makarov felt his eyebrows shoot up as he reevaluated the woman sitting before him. "May I inquire as to why?" Internally, his mind was racing. _Is she unhappy being here? Did she meet someone when she was away for her year? Did someone do something to her?_

Swallowing, Lucy closed her eyes and murmured: "I've received word about a gate key, and I need to find it. But I don't know where it is, so that's why I've given it an indefinite length of time."

"Haven't you searched for gate keys through missions in the past?" Makarov said, trying to understand why she would go so far to just search out a gate key. "Is there a particular reason why you can't remain an active member during your search?"

"Master…" Lucy began, looking as if she was reluctant to part with the information. "This key is too important to not find it immediately. If I relied on going out on missions to find it…Master, please, I need to find this key."

Lucy wasn't being entirely truthful with him, Makarov could tell in an instant, years of being a parent, grandparent, and guild master allowing him to see that instantly. But he could also tell that she was truly and deeply concerned about this key, and if he refused to give her permission to go, she'd likely up and disappear without warning.

Searching his brain for a way to fix the predicament he was in, Makarov suddenly came across an idea. "I'll grant your leave, for an initial six months," he began slowly, watching Lucy carefully. "However, this comes with two conditions."

Lucy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What conditions?"

"One, you return here after six months, whether or not you've found the key. We'll talk again at that point in time. I say this only because I don't want to have to contain Team Natsu if you've been gone for longer than that."

"Reasonable," Lucy murmured with a nod. "But your other condition?"

"You take an S-class mage with you, just in case." Makarov knew that she would fight him on this, but he wanted someone to have her back, and the S-class mages were likely the only ones financially stable enough to take six months off from mission work. Losing Erza would be difficult, but perhaps disbanding Team Natsu while the two females were gone…

"Fine, I'll take Laxus," Lucy said, her jaw set.

Makarov spit the sip of coffee he had just taken all over the paperwork burying his desktop. "Laxus?!" Not that he had any problem with his grandson accompanying Lucy, and he was certainly capable, but did they ever speak to each other?

"Yes," Lucy said calmly. "Laxus. I assume you want me to take an S-class mage with me in case of danger, and he's perfectly capable. You also said that it was my choice, and I choose him, providing he agrees."

There wasn't anything Makarov could say to answer her, so he simply agreed. Pending agreement, Laxus would accompany Lucy for the next six months while she searched for this mysterious gate key.

* * *

Five months later, Laxus was returning to the hotel room he was sharing with Lucy after taking an evening stroll around the town they were staying in. His keen ears picked up the threads of conversation behind the door.

"…can you tell me _anything_ about her key?" Lucy was saying, with what sounded like sobs in her voice. "Please, anything you can tell me would be welcome."

"No can do," a voice said, and Laxus picked up the now familiar scent of celestial magic. Lucy was talking with one of her spirits. "She doesn't even know where her key is. Just as a fair warning, she's getting pretty pissed over you calling me out during dates."

"I know," Lucy said with a sigh. "But I keep thinking, you're the one who knows her best. It somehow makes me feel…close to her. Grandpa Crux can't tell me anything either, saying that he's not allowed to reveal locations of keys, even if they're contracted. Something about an unfair advantage."

"You know he's right," the male voice murmured. "And she knows that you're doing your best, and wishes she was allowed to help you. But you're doing everything you can, and she doesn't begrudge you that. She won't say it, but I can tell that she misses you too."

"Thanks Scorpio," Lucy choked out, and Laxus could tell that she was holding back tears. From where he stood outside their door, he could smell the salt and hear the sob in her voice. "You can go back now. Laxus should be back soon."

"Keep your chin up," Scorpio said gently. "You'll find her."

As he heard the subtle sounds of a gate closing Laxus opened the door. When Gramps had told him about Lucy's request, the old man had added his own, asking him to try and find out what was going on with this key. But five months had passed and he was no closer. Lucy made _Freed_ look talkative when it came to the key she was searching for.

Opening the door, he found Lucy perched on the edge of her bed, a few tears slipping down her face. It was the most emotion that he had seen from her.

"Laxus," she said, and he could see her try to regain control of her emotions as she brushed away the errant tears. "I didn't think you'd be back yet."

"Look," he said, closing the door behind him and moving to perch on the edge of his bed, facing her. "We may not be the best of friends, but I've gotten to know you a bit during this trip, and you've gotten to know me, at least I think you have. And as one of your nakama, I'm not going to let you sit here and suffer in silence."

She made a noise as if she was about to protest, but he shook his head and carried on. "Lucy, everyone knows that something is wrong, and something's been wrong ever since Tartarus. I'm going to hazard a guess that this key hunt has to do with whatever you've been dealing with. Is it something you can explain to me, or is it a celestial mage secret?"

Lucy glared at him. "You know, I chose you because you wouldn't ask questions," she accused, sniffling as anger and pain flickered across her face. "Erza and Mira would push and push until I snapped and told them off."

"You're stalling," he commented, tucking that bit of information away for further thought. Although, he had come to the same conclusion after the first month of interacting with the blonde, especially after he realized she was keeping him at arm's length.

"No shit Sherlock," she groused, but heaved a resigned sigh. "No, it's not secrets only known to Celestial mages. Well, most of it isn't. But I'm pretty sure the 'secret' part of it only lies with how rare it is, because I'm probably the only living person who can do what I've done."

Laxus waited in silence for her to continue, and she didn't disappoint. "I've committed a sin, Laxus, a sin so grievous that I can never hope to atone. Even if I find her key, no matter how many times I try to fix things, nothing will ever make up for what I did. It's only the fact that the others swear that they won't accept a new mage that keeps me from giving my keys to Yukino and renouncing Celestial magic."

 _What the hell?_ Laxus was shell shocked by the monotone voice in which Lucy proclaimed herself to be beyond redemption. The blonde was the light of their guild, probably it's most beloved member beside Mira and his grandfather, and she was declaring that she would cut herself off from her magic…

A flash of light and Loke was there, pulling Lucy into his arms. "Princess, you know that's not true. Nobody blames you…"

"Don't touch me," she screamed, pushing him away. "Loke, you know what I did to her! You know what she said! What if it's you next time? What if it's Virgo? Or Cancer?"

"Then we would _gladly_ offer ourselves," the lion spirit said softly, kneeling before her. "Lucy, you would have given your very life to save me; how could any of us do any less?"

"I think of her as my mother!" Lucy cried, clenching her fists. "And I sacrificed her. I killed my own mother!"

"Lucy," Laxus said sternly, seeing how she was becoming hysterical quickly. "Why don't you explain the facts, just the facts, and we'll see what happened?"

The blonde took a shuddering breath and wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if she was trying to hold herself together. "I summoned the Celestial Spirit King."

Laxus nailed her with a flat look, and she caved and elaborated, but only slightly. "The Spirit King can only be summoned through the sacrifice of a gold zodiac key, one with which the mage has a strong relationship with, especially in regards to trust."

Her confession hit him as hard as a blow to the chest. _Everyone_ in Fairy Tail knew how highly Lucy held her spirits, and Loke was living proof of how alike they were to human beings. For her to have sacrificed one of her keys... no wonder she was suffering. The guild had mourned with Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu at the loss of their foster parents, but he hadn't heard of anyone mourning with _Lucy_.

Seeing the blonde's blank face, and remembering what she said to Loke, the flat way in which she condemned herself when explaining to him…the guilt was eating her alive. Laxus thought over the scraps of information that she had let slip about her mission, and realized what key she had to be looking for.

"The key you're looking for…it's the one you sacrificed, isn't it?" It made sense now, why she was so determined to find it, why she was speaking with one of her past spirits about it…and why she had been so reluctant to use her spirits since they left Fairy Tail.

Head dipping slightly in a nod, Lucy murmured: "I need to apologize for what I did to her."

Loke spoke up again, startling Laxus, who had forgotten the lion spirit's presence in the room. "She's more than likely to blast you across the continent if she heard you apologize, just as fair warning."

"It's no more than I deserve," Lucy murmured, looking at her hands in her lap. "She has every right to hate me."

Trying to keep from laughing, Loke replied: "You've been away from her for too long. That's not hatred, that's just how you two are."

"Aquarius?" the lightning dragon slayer asked softly, recalling the tales Freed and Bickslow told about the most powerful spirit in Lucy's arsenal. From what scraps of gossip he had heard at the guild, the mermaid was Lucy's oldest spirit, which would explain why Lucy referred to her as a mother.

A crack in Lucy's blank façade showed him exactly how right his guess had been. Before he could think about it, Laxus was kneeling before her, wrapping her hands within his own. "I don't know her, and I don't know what happened, but I do know a bit about you. Lucy Heartfilia, I can safely say that when you summoned the Celestial Spirit King, it was a last ditch attempt to save a lot of lives, and I'm pretty sure someone bullied you into it. Because you would never do such a thing without evaluating all the options and coming to the conclusion that this was your only chance."

The façade shattered, and Lucy threw herself into his arms, shaking with the sobs that Laxus guessed she had been repressing since the fight with Tartarus. Wrapping his arms around her, he rocked her back and forth gently, as he had seen his grandfather do when Asuka ran to him crying if Alzack and Bisca were out on a mission. Holding her, he knew that his priorities had just shifted. They wouldn't stop until Lucy had peace, even if it took years for her to find Aquarius's key again.

* * *

Two months later they were back on the trail again, this time with a lead. Someone had reported a key being spotted at the bottom of a lake near the border with Bosco, and he and Lucy were combing every town they stopped at for information and directions. If nothing else, they could probably send the kingdom an up to date map of the lakes on the border with Bosco.

"Really? Thank you ma'am, I appreciate the help." Laxus tuned in to the end of Lucy's conversation as she moved away from the booth she had stopped at, looking for more information. As she moved back towards him, she was excited, but also grim. That particular combination could only mean one thing.

Someone had seen the key.

"The lake's five miles out of town, but we're not the only ones who have been looking for the key," she murmured, setting a fast pace as she headed for the edge of town. "A bunch of people, not all of them respectable, have been asking around, so we may have trouble. However, the local boys have attempted to dive for it, and nobody's been able to pick it up from the lakebed, so that may mean that she's able to protect the key from anyone disreputable."

"Good thing Gramps made me come along then," Laxus commented, using his senses to listen and smell for threats that may be approaching them. "You can go in for the key, since you're most likely to be able to retrieve it than me, and I'll keep watch from the shore."

"Sounds good," Lucy said, and he caught her rubbing a small lump in her pocket, which he knew was likely the remains of Aquarius's previous key. The blonde had told him, the night when everything came out, that she carried it with her all the time, as a reminder of what she had done.

They reached the lake the next day, and Lucy immediately stripped down to her underthings, leaving her clothes on a stone near the shore while Laxus very determinedly kept his eyes on the surrounding forest. While he had become close to the other blonde during the months they spent together, he knew well enough not to push her when it came to things like undressing, knowing through the guild gossip that the blonde's kick was worse than anything Natsu could dole out.

There was something going on deeper in the trees, but his priority was the woman in the lake, so he stayed put. But his thoughts were shattered as Lucy surfaced somewhere in the lake, calling: "The key's gone!"

Nodding, he pointed towards the sound of the disturbance and said: "There's a commotion over there; want me to bring your clothes close to the shore for you?" Throughout the dialogue, he was _very_ careful to keep his back to the blonde, knowing from his initial inspection of the lake that the water was very, very clear.

Lucy called back her agreement, and he scooped up the clothing and started jogging towards what looked to be the best point for her to get out. As she hurriedly dressed, the dragon slayer tried to hear more of the conflict, but a new scent caught his attention.

"Smoke," he grunted, and his eyes darted to the thin grey cloud that started to emerge over the trees. "Are you decent?"

"Yes, why?"

Before she could say any more, Laxus pulled her into his arms and let his lighting surround them, teleporting them to the source of the smoke.

Unfortunately, that put them right into the middle of the conflict.

Taking in the scene in a flash, Laxus found himself surrounded by no fewer than six opponents, all of them seeming to have some type of weapon, with a burning house at his back. Ducking as something flew overhead, he let go of Lucy, hearing the blonde hit the ground and roll, the familiar jingle of her keys the only warning he had before Loke appeared next to him.

"My princess called," the Lion said with a smile, and turned to face the men, who looked like a motley collection of thugs. "Now what have we here?"

"Come on," one of the thugs whined over the crackle of the flames. "All we wanted was that gold key. It's the kid's fault for not handing it over when we asked."

 _Kid?_ Laxus thought as he took in the scents around them again, finding three scents he didn't originally account for. His senses were being quickly overwhelmed, by smoke, and the conversation happening around him.

"Hey, the girl's got a whole bunch of keys," another man called, looking Lucy up and down. "We could get the whole set; bet they'd pay a lot for that."

"Not on your life," Lucy growled, and a pink and black blur told Laxus that Virgo was with Lucy. Trusting her to have her back, Laxus turned to his own half of the thugs. Between him and Loke, taking them down was easy, but an ear piercing shriek drew his attention back to Lucy.

Time seemed to slow down, and Laxus found himself unable to move as an arrow, shot by one of the downed men who had somehow reached a crossbow, flew towards Lucy's unprotected back as she knelt beside one of the men she had felled, Virgo restraining him in chains.

But there was a flash of light, the stinging scent of Celestial magic, and a jet of water knocked the arrow out of the air. Lucy whipped around, and Laxus followed her line of sight to the well standing beside the burning house.

A crying child stood next to the well, but the mermaid hovering above it was unmistakable.

Lucy staggered forward, eyes locked on Aquarius. "You're really here," she breathed. Deciding to let them have their conversation, Laxus turned to bind the rest of the thugs, but Virgo had already done that. With a sharp nod to him, she disappeared, leaving him with Loke, who was kneeling over a bundle on the ground.

"Dead," the lion spirit whispered as he stood, and Laxus realized that the bundle was a _woman_ , likely the mother of the child that was crying by the well. Seeing another body lying closer to the men, Laxus checked, with a feeling of dread. Also dead, and likely the child's father.

Loke shook his head mournfully before returning to the spirit world. Laxus approached Lucy, who was holding on to Aquarius and sobbing apologies. Yet as he drew near, the blonde straightened, wiped away her tears, and looked at the child crouched by the well, the familiar shape of a zodiac key clenched in her hands. Kneeling before the child, Lucy murmured something to the girl, something Laxus could barely make out over the flames. Aquarius disappeared, and Lucy scooped the girl up in her arms.

"Virgo, could you come back?" The pink haired maiden reappeared, and Lucy spoke quietly with her before the spirit darted around the clearing, doing something that caused the house to cave in and become covered with dirt, and then gently burying the man and woman who Laxus knew must have been slain trying to protect their daughter and the key she was holding onto.

With the bodies buried and the house extinguished, Lucy carried the child over to him, saying: "We better get these fools into town. The Rune Knights can deal with them. She says her grandmother lives in town too, so we can leave her there."

Nodding, Laxus reached down and picked up the lead that Virgo had left at the end of the chains binding the thugs. Giving it a sharp tug, he followed Lucy on a well-worn path that he suspected led to town.

* * *

The next morning, Laxus watched as Lucy shouldered her pack and headed for the train station. They had left the little girl with the magistrate, who promised to see that she was taken care of until her grandmother could be contacted, and rented a room in the hotel for the night. He hadn't seen Lucy retrieve the key, but knew that it could have happened while he was dealing with the thugs.

"So, it must feel good to have her key back?" he asked as they waited for their train, beginning the long journey back to Magnolia.

Lucy shook her head. "I left it with the girl," she murmured with a sad smile.

He was shocked. Seven months they had spent searching for Aquarius's key, and Lucy had left it behind? "Why?" he asked, knowing that the blonde rarely did anything without a reason when it came to her spirits.

Looking up at him, Lucy shrugged. "Because I saw a little girl who had just lost her parents and needed someone to look out for her. Besides, Aquarius wouldn't have let her pick up the key unless she thought the girl was someone special. I've lived without her for almost two years; it's time that she be with someone else who needs her more."

As he looked at her, Laxus was again reminded of the type of person Lucy was. She had searched and searched for the key, only to let it slip through her fingers for the sake of someone else. But above all else, the blonde looked at peace for the first time since before Tartarus. "I'm glad for you," he said, not knowing what else to say. "You seem as if you're at peace now."

Chuckling, Lucy leaned against him, something she had started doing since the night she had confessed everything to him. "I got to apologize, and only the lack of available water kept Aquarius from knocking me across the clearing. Did you know that the little girl had found the key yesterday, and refused to give it up when those men came around, no matter how much they threatened? When they tried to just take it from her, both her parents and those men, it wouldn't leave her hands. She said that she could hear Aquarius telling her that she was _meant_ to be with her, not with the men."

Laxus shook his head, but wrapped his arm around the blonde at his side. For a brief moment, he had a glimpse of something, like a seer's premonition. A small smile trickled over his face as he thought about it. _Now that isn't a bad way for this to turn out_.

* * *

 _Twelve Years Later_

Laxus Dreyar, master of Fairy Tail, sat at his preferred table by the railing and watched as his kids played with his grandfather on the main floor. The old man had retired six years before, citing a desire to spend more time with his great grandchildren than doing paperwork as the reason. He couldn't blame him; spending time with his kids was much more enjoyable than dealing with the repercussions of Natsu's latest rampage. Unfortunately, he thought as he watched a tiny body with a familiar shock of salmon colored hair destroy three chairs and a good part of a table, in a few years the fire dragon slayer could bring his children along on jobs to help with the chaos.

The doors opening drew his attention, and he saw his wife enter, only to be mobbed by two blonde cannonballs. He chuckled slightly as Lucy caught them in a hug; their kids had inherited their mother's willingness to care as well as his physical strength, making their shows of affection a bit more hazardous and frequent than most.

But his attention was drawn to the person standing behind Lucy, the brunette being unfamiliar to him, until her scent wafted up to him. Then, his mind took him back to a fire, and a child cowering by a well, and he knew.

As he looked down at her, the young woman's head tipped up, and she met his eyes with a slight smile. _Looks like Lucy found herself an apprentice then. At least she won't have to worry about who to pass her keys down to, since neither of our kids show any signs of learning celestial magic._

A brief flash of light, and Loke was standing beside him, having become a trusted friend in the years since his first assignment with Lucy. "Looks like everything worked out then," the lion said, gazing down at the two women in the doorway. "We were worried about her back then, but she came out of everything far better than we could have imagined."

Nodding his agreement, Laxus watched as his children tugged their mother into the latest game the guild's children had been playing. "Gramps and I were worried about her, but she surprised us, just like she always does."

"It was because she had you, even back then," Loke murmured. "You seemed to know exactly what she needed, in terms of support, and gave it to her without hesitation."

Together they watched the newest member of Fairy Tail receive the traditional inauguration: Natsu's son chucked a chair at Gajeel's daughter, who deflected it into Romeo, who dodged, causing the newcomer to hit the floor or be wiped out instantly.

Loke chuckled. "I seem to remember something similar happening when Lucy first arrived," he laughed, watching as Mira made her way through the now brawling crowd, only to be taken out by Cana's wine bottle as she reached the young woman. "At least Grey hasn't asked her for her underwear yet."

"WILL ALL OF YOU _STOP_ BEFORE ONE OF THE CHILDREN GETS HURT?" A voice screamed, and the fighting stopped in an instant, leaving Loke's laughter as the only sound in the building.

Lucy stood in the middle to the partially destroyed first floor, the children clinging to her legs as guild members cowered in fear. Makarov had removed himself to the bar where he was helping himself to some of Mira's best stock while Lucy was putting the fear of god into the unruly guild.

"You may not match your grandfather when it comes to being able to shut the guild up in an instant," Loke chortled. "But your wife's got that down, so no need to worry."

He waved cheerfully to Lucy before closing his gate, likely seeing his master palm one of the knives lying near her and knowing that she'd throw it at him just for the statement it made.

Laxus chuckled, before getting up and moving to introduce himself to the newest member, knowing that if Aquarius had sensed her power years ago, she had to be quite the formidable woman by now. And the mermaid had a talent for raising powerful young women.

 *****Hi everyone, I know I disappeared. But I'm back now, and definitely still working on these prompts as the days progress. As of right now, they all exist in a universe were Alverez NEVER happened. The guild just spontaneously reformed and Lucy got a dream about Aquarius's key.**

 **In other news, I think I might start posting the sequel to** ** _Still Standing_** **soon. Or perhaps the CoLu. And I have two outstanding chapters to** ** _Raise Your Glass_** **yet to write/post. So yeah, lots to do, so little time, but hopefully the winter/spring is nicer to me than the fall was.**

 **Oh, and it's been just about a year since I started posting! Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows!*****


	2. Devilish

**Devilish**

 _Six Months after Lucy learns about the key. As requested, Lucy and Laxus have returned to the guild, and left again to continue their search._

It was hard to believe that the young woman standing in front of him was Lucy Heartfilia, light of Fairy Tail, Laxus thought as he watched her sashay through the bar, turning heads as she went.

He admitted to himself that it was hard _not_ to look at her, not with the getup she was wearing. While he may have a lot of respect for his nakama, and respected Lucy's strength as a mage, the blonde was an attractive woman, and this particular outfit did nothing to hide that.

Black mini-skirt…usually not uncommon for her. But he was wondering how lopping off what couldn't be more than an _inch_ from her usual length could make such a difference. Or maybe it was the top…black and red, built like a corset with ties that just _begged_ to be undone, revealing the treasures they guarded…or the heels that even Evergreen would shy away from, and he had to admit, the only woman in the Raijinshu had some _very_ impractical shoe choices in her arsenal. Sultry makeup, paired with black lace thigh high stockings…Laxus tore his eyes away from the blonde and went back to staring at his drink. Well, he tore his eyes away from Lucy, who had somehow managed to turn her hair a shade of red that would have made Erza proud.

In fact, he was pretty certain that it was Jellal in the corner with his hood up, given by the figure's sudden twitch in Lucy's direction until she had turned, allowing the cloaked figure to see her face. Laxus had bitten back a chuckle at the time, but now…now he was wishing that he was anywhere but this shitty bar, watching Lucy parade herself in hopes of getting information.

Unfortunately, this seemed to be their best option. As she had laid out the many, many plans she had floating around her head, all ready to be pulled out and adapted to whatever situation at had, only this one seemed a viable way of getting the information that they wanted. Lucy had pointed out that none of the dealers who usually speculated in Celestial Gate Keys were talking about a gold key being found. Apparently, since Aquarius's key hadn't been on the market in at least two generations, and had been _very_ visibly used by Lucy herself in the past, someone finding it would be _big_ news in the interested circles. So they had to resort to the…less official sources of information and valuable goods.

Laxus scowled as a maroon haired man with a scar started flirting with Lucy, but forced himself to stay in his seat. _You're just being protective of a guild mate. Nothing more, nothing less_. Or so he was trying to convince himself. Six months with the blonde, and he was starting to find that she was more than a guild mate, more than a friend…but it would just complicate things for him to change what they were now. She was starting to return to the shell she had been before she had heard about the reincarnated key, the subdued, brittle woman that he remembered from the month she had been at the guild after it had been rebuilt and reformed. At least in the beginning, she had been determined, with the need to find the key driving her forward as if Natsu was rampaging behind her in full destruction mode. Now though…he could tell she was starting to give up home.

Lucy's scent wafted over to him as she tossed her hair, still flirting with Scarface as she probed for any rumors the man might know about the key. Idly listening to the conversations around him, Laxus wondered if she found the man attractive. None of the other men he had seen her flirt with got this level of treatment, or this amount of time in her presence. The blonde, or rather temporary redhead, was a master of getting the information she needed from a person and moving on. _Maybe this guy has information, legit information? Or is it him, and not what she can get from him_. Fighting down the twinges of jealousy, Laxus reminded himself that he had no claim on her, no reason to interfere with the man who had just tugged Lucy closer to him as she laughed.

"She makes quite the redhead, doesn't she?" a voice murmured in his ear, and Laxus jumped, nearly spilling his glass of whiskey all over the cloaked figure that he had noticed earlier, who had left the corner to come speak with him.

The hood was pushed back slightly, and Laxus caught a glimpse of a familiar tattoo. "Come join me at my table?" Jellal asked, motioning to the out of the way corner where he had been lurking earlier.

When they had settled in, backs to the wall so they could watch the crowd without fear of being surprised, Jellal opened the conversation. "With that hair, she could be Erza's sister. From behind, in this light, she almost looks like Erza."

Laxus snickered, remembering how Jellal had twitched when they entered. "I thought you might be under the cloak, with the way you flinched upon seeing her. Hell, I wondered if Gramps had sent her after us when I saw Lucy come in. He wasn't happy about her leaving in the first place, but after seeing the amount of destruction Team Natsu created during the first six months that we were gone…he almost cried when she said she wanted to keep searching."

"So you're looking for the gate key?" Jellal asked, ignoring the mention of his reaction to Lucy. Who was still flirting with Scarface, causing Laxus to focus everywhere _but_ the bar where the two of them stood.

"Yeah," Laxus growled, glaring at a group of men ogling Lucy. "How did you know?"

Jellal shrugged. "Word started getting around that there was a blonde Celestial mage looking for Aquarius's key. Sorano pointed out that Lucy last had Aquarius, and happens to be the only blonde Celestial mage that we know of, so we decided to look into it, see if we could figure out what was going on. Especially after the Eclipse gate fiasco; I'd prefer knowing where all of those keys are."

Sorting through the information Lucy had shared with him, and what she had told his grandfather and the guild when they were back to report to Makarov their lack of progress as required, Laxus came up with as much of an explanation as he could give without violating Lucy's privacy. "Through a series of events that you'll have to ask Lucy about, Aquarius's key was broken. Since then, it was regenerated, and now is _somewhere_ in the world. Lucy was told about this, and will most likely put her life on hold until it's found."

With a nod, Jellal took another sip of his drink. "That explains why she's here. But why you?"

Laxus could hear the unasked questions. _Why not Natsu? Why not Erza and Grey?_ He had wondered himself at first, but it had become clear even before Lucy admitted it on the night she told him everything. "Apparently they don't know the full story, and she'd rather not get into it with them. Gramps told her she couldn't leave without an S-class mage, and I was the only one she felt could keep their mouth shut."

Now Scarface had his hand on the small of her back, and the bastard's fingers kept twitching, as if they wanted to go lower…Laxus had to consciously remind himself to _not_ break the table.

It was Jellal's turn to laugh. "I wouldn't pay them any mind if I were you. Erik likes to poke at people just to get a reaction. _Not_ giving him what he wants is far more satisfying."

Raising his eyebrow, Laxus turned to Jellal. "You know…him?" The lightning dragon slayer found himself almost using one of the variety of insults his mind had provided for the scarred man, but held himself back just in time.

Jellal's lips twitched, but he refrained from laughing. "That would be a yes. You might know his by another name…Cobra of the Oracion Seis?"

Nearly spitting out the sip of whiskey he had just taken, Laxus reevaluated the man flirting with Lucy. " _That's_ the other second generation slayer?"

This time Jellal couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Poison Dragon Slayer, and more importantly is this situation _soul reader_. If the two of them aren't messing with your head, I'll ship myself back to the Council."

Grunting, Laxus relaxed in his chair, ignoring the couple at the bar as best as he could, focusing on the other patrons and using his improved hearing to his advantage.

* * *

Hours later, as the bar closed, Laxus waited for Lucy in the shadows of a nearby alleyway. As she came out of the bar, Cobra's arm still wrapped around her waist ,he could tell that she'd hit the alcohol a bit more than usual, given by how much she was actually _leaning_ on Cobra for support.

Approaching him, Cobra smoothly untangled himself from her, giving her a slight shove towards Laxus. "She's all yours, Sparky."

Steadying Lucy, Laxus realized that the hours spent in the hot, grimy bar had done nothing to diminish how attractive she looked. Biting back a groan as she leaned into him, the lightning dragon slayer moved towards the hotel that they were staying at.

"I hope you had fun tonight," Laxus admonished through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the woman on his arm. _To do anything now would be taking advantage. To do anything now would be taking advantage…_

"It's fun to see you all riled up," Lucy said, her voice huskier than he had ever heard it before. "Makes me think that you see me as a woman, not just a nakama."

Slowly, Laxus swallowed. _No. No no no no no. Lucy please stop saying things like that…_

"Cobra and I had a little game going, but Jellal ruined it. I had to do three shots because of him." Lucy pouted, and Laxus knew that the innocent blonde was far, far more devilish than someone who looked so much like an angel ought to be. "I'm going to have to tell Erza on him."

"You do that," Laxus murmured distractedly, counting the steps between them and the doorway of their hotel. He had never been so glad to see it before…until he remembered that they were sharing a room for the sake of saving money. _At least she has her own bed…_

"…and then I did another three shots in celebration." Lucy prattled on as the slowly made their way up the stairs. "Cobra's pretty useful to have around sometimes."

"Why is that?" Laxus asked, paying more attention to the key he was trying to get out of his pocket than what the blonde was saying.

"Because he told me where Aquarius was." Lucy said happily, dancing into the room as he opened the door, stumbling a bit on her heels. "And he helped me figure out that you were jealous of him, and that means you care about me, which means that after this, if I let myself think about things like relationships, you might be willing to try one with me…"

She collapsed on her bed, toeing her heels off with a lot more coordination than he expected of someone as inebriated as she. "I'm going to go to sleep now, and we can leave in the morning. Apparently _nobody's_ been able to pick up the key, no matter what they try, so I think she's waiting for me."

Rolling over, the blonde, still masquerading as a redhead, seemed to fall right asleep. Laxus stared at her for a moment, wondering how someone who seemed so innocent could be such a devil when she wanted to. Deciding not to think too much about what she had rambled about, when she had been talking about him, he headed into the bathroom to try and wash off some of the grime he felt as if he accumulated from the bar. And potentially try and wash away the thoughts of the time when his eyes had met Lucy's from across the room, and he had almost dragged her back to the hotel room right then and there.

 *****I struggled with this one. And then I sat down, started writing and the ideas kept coming. Oh, and Cobra and Jellal decided to come along for the ride. Don't ask me why, they just showed up. As stated above, this takes place in the middle of "Aquarius", this detailing the night Lucy got the information that led them to the key in the end.*****


	3. Dream

**Dream:**

This was the third night in a row that she hadn't been able to sleep. The first night was easy to explain. Team Natsu had thrown a party in her apartment, and had passed out in varying stages of drunkenness all over her furniture. Natsu could snore louder than anyone in the guild, and he had chosen her bed, unsurprisingly, as his resting place of choice. Lucy would have relocated to the couch, but Grey had passed out there, leaving himself open for Juvia to crawl up next to him, glaring at Lucy as she did so…no it was safer to try and ignore Natsu's snoring than to go anywhere near the those two.

But the second night, as she lay awake, shivering and trembling after the reoccurring nightmares…Lucy knew that it would be a long time before she had a peaceful night.

Tentatively, she let herself slip into sleep, knowing that her body needed it, even though she was terrified of seeing the monsters of Tartarus again…seeing what she had done…

Yet, something was different about this dream. She was in a familiar, friendly setting. Around her stood her friends: Loke, Aries, Taurus…every key she had contracted to her. Except one. There was a hole in the group, and that hole made her heart ache.

"Old Friend," the familiar voice of the Spirit King boomed out over the gathered spirits, and Lucy jumped before turning to find him standing before a door. "It has been a year and a day since the Gate of the Water Bearer was closed to summon me."

"Yes, your majesty," Lucy murmured, kneeling before him. She had an idea of why she had been summoned to the Spirit World in her dreams, but she hadn't expected it to have taken this long. "I will face whatever punishment you find appropriate."

"My old friend," the Spirit King murmured, and Lucy dared raise her head, hearing surprise and sorrow in his voice. "I have not summoned you here tonight to punish you for what you have done, but to repair the break in the zodiac."

 _Repair?_ Lucy felt her heart rise into her throat. "Does this mean…"

"The Celestial Spirt King may only be summoned by a mage who can summon three members of the zodiac at one time, and at the expense of a zodiac key," the Spirit King announced to Lucy and the assembled spirits. "However, what is not well known is what happens later."

"A zodiac key broken to summon me will be formed anew somewhere in the world after a year and a day has passed since its breaking. If the members of the zodiac deem the summoning mage's motivation for breaking the key to be unselfish, the mage is brought here and informed of the new key. However, we cannot disclose the whereabouts of the new key."

Lucy swallowed, for the first time in a year, daring to hope that she might see Aquarius again. "Sir, you're saying that Aquarius's key is somewhere out there? And that I can go find her again?"

With a nod the Spirit King smiled. "Even I could see that you broke the key with great distress, as you faced an enemy beyond even my power for the sake of your friends. It is our pleasure to tell you that you may yet see Aquarius's key made whole again. But before you leave, we have one final thing to offer you."

The assembled spirits stepped back, leaving Crux, Horologium, and Pyxis forming a small triangle. "We would like to show you glimpses of what may await you in the future," the Spirit King said quietly. "What you see may never come to pass, or may come to pass in ways unexpected, but it is as accurate as we can show you. Will you look into what your future may hold?"

Biting her lip, Lucy sucked in a deep breath before moving to stand before the three. Crux and Pyxis reached out to grasp her arm, and Horologium's glass turned mirror-like. In a lurch, Lucy found herself drawn into the scenes she saw in the glass.

 _She was in a hotel room, talking to Scorpio…a bar, talking to a man who she felt as if she remembered…swimming, and a tall blonde man by the lakeside…fire, flames devouring a house. A well, and a familiar golden glow. Pain, sorrow, joy…_

The visions seemed to speed up, leaving her with mostly fragments and snippets of emotion.

 _Dancing, in a white dress with someone…love, contentment. Joy, exhaustion, blanket-wrapped bundles…a young girl, holding a gate key…the same girl, a determined look on her face…the guild in shambles, a small salmon haired figure in the middle, laughing…pride, joy, new Master…_

Another lurching feeling, and Lucy was freed from the visions, her head spinning. "You said this is just a possible future?" she asked, realizing that she hadn't seen Aquarius, or really any of her spirits in the visions. But she had been happy, she could feel that somehow, happy and content.

"One of many," the Spirit King confirmed. "Now, we wish you the best of luck in your search for the Water Bearer's Key. May the stars guide your paths, my old friend."

"Thank you," Lucy breathed, already mentally planning her journey. "Thank you so much."

"It is our pleasure," the Spirit King's voice said as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, Lucy hurried to the guild, her possessions packed and rent settled with her landlady. _At least she won't hold me responsible for any damage done by the idiots while I'm gone._

Lucy did her best to reign in her impatience as the master pried for information, but he threw her for a loop when he ordered her to take an S-class mage. Her first thought was to argue, but a snippet of the visions her spirits had shown her, the tall blonde man on the lakeshore silenced that thought. "Fine, I'll take Laxus." She knew that her future was hers to shape, but she had seen nothing in that future that made her unhappy. None of it was clear either, but she had a feeling that Laxus was a part of it.

* * *

Twelve years later, Lucy was standing in the guild hall, her children clinging to her, and chaos reigning around her. Looking up to the second floor, she found her husband watching, and smiled. The road that she had walked to lead her to this moment was nothing like the vision she had seen, but it she knew that she didn't regret any of it. Not a single choice.

 *****Okay! This takes place before the beginning of "Aquarius" and explains how Lucy found out about the key. I probably should have mentioned this before, but this entire week will be manga spoilers heavy for anyone NOT keeping up with the manga as it's released. Sorry if I've ruined things for anyone. Also sorry, but very little Laxus in this. Quite honestly, this was dragged into the world kicking and screaming, despite it being just about the only one that had a semblance of a plot.*****


	4. Sparks

**Sparks:**

 _After the main events of "Aquarius". Lucy and Laxus have returned to the guild. Approximately one month after Aquarius's key was found._

Laxus woke to the sound of thunder and lightning, and the satisfying scent of ozone that accompanied a storm. Late spring, almost summer, and the storms were breathtaking in both intensity and display. Pulling on pants, he slipped down the stairs and got himself the bottle of whiskey and a glass before heading out to his front porch to watch the storm. It was the reason he bought the house in the first place, the large front porch that allowed him to watch storms over the lake. Opening the whiskey, he poured a measure into his glass before a voice made him jump, sloshing some of the alcohol onto the floorboards beneath his feet.

"Did the storm wake you?" A bedraggled blonde head poked up over the railing. Laxus wondered how she could have gotten so close without him catching her scent, or hearing her for that matter.

"Yeah," he grunted, setting the whiskey down, realizing that the blonde was soaked through, therefore smelling much more like rain and the storm than her usual sweet scent. "What brings you here?"

Lucy bit her lip, and he saw the same haunted look in her eyes that he had learned to associate with Aquarius. _Even though she made her peace with the spirit, it doesn't erase the pain of losing her_. Reaching for the blanket that he kept on the porch for the nights when he decided to sleep outside, the dragon slayer beckoned her up onto the porch. "Come on up and watch the storm with me."

She padded softly up the steps, and he saw that she was wearing slippers, flimsy pieces of fabric that were fine for keeping your feet comfortable in the house, but not outside during a rainstorm. That explained why he didn't hear the familiar click of her favorite boots as she approached. _It's a good thing that slippers aren't traditional footwear, otherwise dragon slayers would have a lot harder time hearing people approach_. Laxus also noted the soaked shorts and tee shirt, her usual sleepwear.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, holding out the blanket to her as he settled into the hammock that he had hung for nights when he was storm watching.

Taking it, Lucy wrapped herself in the blanket and toed off her muddy slippers before joining him on the hammock as he shifted to make space for her. Together they stared out at the storm brewing over the lake, neither of them saying anything form a few moments.

"I keep dreaming," Lucy murmured under the sound of the falling rain. "Not nightmares anymore, but they don't feel much better."

"Not having nightmares is good," Laxus tentatively offered, knowing that she wouldn't have been driven out into the storm if she hadn't been suffering. Seven months with Lucy had taught him that she was more likely to suffer through things in silence than reach out to someone, something he understood. It was hard to feel as if someone cared for your wellbeing when your shitty excuse for a father shoved a lacrima in your face. Much easier to just move on with things in silence than risk drawing attention to yourself.

"They're all memories," Lucy whispered, resting her head against his shoulder, and he wasn't sure if he felt rain on her face, or if she was crying. "Memories of her, at time we spent together…none of it bad, but it still hurts so much."

Laxus shifted to snake his arm around her, holding her close. While he wasn't a fan of physical comfort, he knew that Lucy was starved for it when she was upset. During their seven month journey, she had grown comfortable enough with him to attempt leaning against him when she was sad, and even pry a few hugs from him as well. To be honest, he didn't mind the sensation of holding her in his arms, but he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Snuggling closer into his side, Lucy continued: "I…the dream I had where I found out about Aquarius's key…they were able to show me snippets of what my future might be like…I couldn't really tell much about what was going on, but what I could understand...I felt as if I would succeed, but lose something anyway. And I was right. Leaving the key with that girl was the right thing to do, but it hurts so much…"

It was hard to tell whether or not the shaking in her body was because of her wet clothing or because of the sobs he could hear. Tightening his arms around her, Laxus held her as she cried, grieving for her oldest spirit, the one who raised her, who may continue on in this world, but may never cross paths with Lucy again. Something in him knew that she needed this, this chance to grieve, letting out all of the emotions that she had been concealing as people asked her about the seven month disappearance, Aquarius's key that she wore as a pendent, and why she had been so different.

The storm over the lake raged on as Lucy's inner storm subsided, and she lay limply in Laxus's arms, worn out from the outpouring of emotions. "Thanks," she whispered, shifting so that she could look down into his face. "I needed to talk to someone tonight, and my feet just…carried me here."

"Come whenever you need," Laxus said, surprising himself with the offer. Even his teammates were told to call him before stopping by, in case he didn't feel like having guests. But Lucy…something had changed between them since the day when they left Magnolia for reasons she wouldn't tell him until five months later.

Thunder crashed again, and Lucy settled back into the hammock. "Given your preparedness for this, I take it you watch the storms here often?"

"Whenever I can," he murmured, watching the lightning crack somewhere on the other side of the lake. "It's probably one of my favorite things to do. I bought the house because of the porch."

"It's perfect," Lucy whispered, her voice blending with the rain and the thunder. "I bet the stars are visible from here too."

"I haven't ever looked," Laxus admitted sheepishly. "Usually I'm only out here when it rains. Otherwise I'm inside or on the back deck with my team."

"Hmmm," Lucy hummed sleepily. "I'll have to come over sometime and see for myself. If that's okay with you?"

"Only if you tell me about the constellations?" Laxus said, wanting to see a little of what made her tick. She was seeing his storms, and she seemed interested in them…he remembered what she said, the night they got the information that finally led them to Aquarius's key. _You were jealous of him, and that means you care about me, which means that after this, if I let myself think about things like relationships, you might be willing to try one with me…_

Typically he wasn't one for relationships. One or two night stands, which formed and disappeared as quickly as sparks on the wind…that was what he felt comfortable with. But with Lucy…the initial spark had been attraction, but he could tell that the spark had caught, surviving the initial tumult, kindling the embers of what could become his first true, steady relationship. For once he thought he might try a relationship, try trusting part of himself to another person, and being trusted back.

"Of course," Lucy mumbled, and he felt her breathing settle into the familiar patterns of sleep. "I'll tell you all their stories…"

In the morning, his team would come to find him, worried that he hadn't shown up at the guild when they had agreed to meet to leave for the job they had picked the day before. They had tried calling him, but his communications lacrima was inside, well away from the two mages sleeping in the hammock on the porch.

Bickslow's loud and obnoxious teasing had Laxus calling down a thunderbolt on him and his totems, whereas Evergreen's subtle comments had Lucy's face blushing even more. Freed seemed to be unsure of whether he should be happy that Laxus had finally found someone he might be willing to settle down with or upset that the lightning dragon slayer's honor was tarnished…add Loke and Virgo to the mix when they showed up to assist Lucy and the entire ordeal had Lucy ready to kick everyone into the lake.

Yet it was the few seconds snatched when the Raijinshu were arguing amongst themselves that Lucy remembered most of all.

"We'll be back in town in three days or so," Laxus murmured in her ear as Lucy slipped her feet into the sandals that Virgo had brought her, shrugging on a coat. "Come by that night, and we'll watch the stars, or the storm?"

"It's a deal," she whispered back, slipping past the group of arguing mages as Laxus's magic began sparking along his arms as he took in the sight of his team almost brawling on his front lawn. "See you then."

 *****Welp. This turned out to be a few days late. Sorry everyone. However, the idea for this didn't appear until this morning when I sat down and said: WRITE NOW. And it's probably one of my favorites so far, not that there's much competition. I'm working on "Manga" as I post this, and as soon as I get that squared away and approved by my beta, I'll have that up. Hopefully that means I'll be able to get "Games" done today as well.*****


	5. Manga

**Manga:**

 _This takes place sometime after "Sparks"._

Lucy sighed as she sealed the last box. When had she gotten so many pairs of shoes? But it was done; her closet was neatly packed away in boxes and suitcases, waiting to be carried over to Laxus's house, where she was going to be living for the foreseeable future.

The latest destruction of her apartment had been the last straw. Between Natsu and Grey, along with Erza's misguided attempts to stop them, the once pleasant space had been gutted. Laxus had held her while she cried and raged, and then offered her one of his spare rooms. She was over at his house more often than not these days, since he had the better kitchen, and they had been dating for a little over a year now. After a bit of consideration, she had accepted his offer, and together they had salvaged what they could of her belongings. How her closet had remained _completely_ untouched was beyond her, given that her wardrobe usually suffered when Natsu and Grey were involved.

Straightening up, she saw Laxus working on shifting her desk, mired in warped and charred wood. She had been pleased that it survived, the extra fire and water protection she had invested in had been worth it after all. But the picture Laxus was presenting…now that was definitely worth more. Sweaty from working in her apartment all day, he had foregone his shirt at some point and he looked like a figure from a movie. Lucy leaned against the wall and watched for a moment, eyes tracing his muscles as he fought to free the desk without causing more damage to the apartment.

As he finally prized it free, Lucy swallowed a groan as a collection of papers fell from where they had been jammed behind the desk and the wall. Seeing them sparked the memory, and she knew that she had to keep them from him at all costs. _Of all the things to survive the destruction in this apartment,_ _ **those**_ _had to be it._

Trying to act nonchalant, she slipped over to the papers, pecking Laxus on the cheek as she did so. "Hmm, these must have fallen off and gotten caught. If I haven't missed them, they're probably not important."

"Might as well check to make sure," Laxus said, and Lucy caught a teasing glint in his eyes that made her very, very wary of what he might do. "You may not have realized that you misplaced them."

"Look at them, they've been here since before Tenrou," Lucy attempted to reason with him, showing him the faded backs with nothing incriminating on them. "It's been almost ten years they've been stuck there. Let's just toss them and be done with them."

Fast as the lightning he wielded, Laxus reached out and grabbed the papers from her hands. "Is this supposed to be…Natsu? And is that blob thing Happy?"

Blushing to the tips of her ears, Lucy did her best to retrieve the incriminating papers. "Just leave it be, please?"

"Is this a manga?" he continued, flipping through more pages. "About how you came to Fairy Tail?"

"Give it back!"

Laxus simply held the pages above her head. "I knew you were a writer, but I didn't know that you wanted to be a mangaka."

"It was just an experiment!" Lucy protested, still trying to get the pages. "I was curious to see if I could do it, and drew those, saw what a disaster they were, and did my best to hide them from sight. That's most likely how they ended up behind my desk."

"At least I've found something you're not good at," Laxus said, tossing the papers in the fireplace and setting them on fire. "Otherwise I'd start to think that you have no faults."

"I do too have faults!" Lucy protested. "I kick people through walls when I'm angry, I can't hold my alcohol very well, and I'm part of the most destructive team Fairy Tail has to offer."

Raising his eyebrow, Laxus countered: "Compared to the average human being, your tolerance to alcohol is right up there with heavy drinkers. Cana and the rest of us aren't normal. Your ability to kick people through walls has most likely saved your life in the past, and while your team is destructive, you're the most popular team the guild has, and you're also the most effective team. Whereas I've attempted a hostile takeover of the guild, gotten myself kicked out, and earned a reputation as an asshole with an attitude problem."

"You were having a teenage tantrum, your grandfather hoped that you'd learn something from taking a break, and you've since remade yourself as an honorable member of Fairy Tail who would put his existence on the line for the sake of others."

Breaking into chuckles, Laxus asked: "Are we going to move your stuff, or are we going to sit around here and compare lists of faults for the rest of the day?"

Lucy bent to pick up one of the boxes by her feet. "I think Erza said she'd bring the wagon here around four. The landlady said we could put stuff in the front entryway today if we wanted to stage things there."

"The only big piece of furniture you're taking is the desk, right?" Laxus asked, picking it up carefully."

"Yeah," Lucy said, nudging what remained of the door open with her foot. "The landlady and I made a deal that she'd let me out of the lease if I left the furniture and did the repairs. To be honest, as much as she likes me, I think she's glad to see me gone. So many years of destruction gets on anyone's nerves."

"Just so you know," Laxus called as she started down the stairs. "Freed's at my house working on runes that will keep your teammates out unless invited. I think he's also been figuring out a way to weave a rune trap in there in case they start fighting."

"How about asking him to put runes on your fridge and her dresser?" one of the neighbors called, passing Lucy on his way up the stairs. "That's usually what I hear her yelling about."

"I'm so sorry," Lucy apologized, blushing profusely. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…I'm moving out so you shouldn't be troubled anymore…"

"It's not that bad," the neighbor said with a grin. "I got Salamander's autograph the day you kicked him into my apartment for rifling through your panty drawer. My niece loved it. I'm her favorite uncle now."

Dropping the box in an out of the way corner of the entry, Lucy facepalmed. Only her team could simultaneously piss people off and make them laugh. Laxus himself was chuckling as he carried her dresser down the stairs. "Freed said that Bickslow and Laki were going to come by tomorrow and do most of the repairs, leaving us with the plumbing and glass stuff to replace. By tomorrow night, your apartment should be ready to turn over to your landlady."

"No more worrying about rent money," Lucy sang as she hiked back up the stairs for her next box. "Just worrying about electricity and food…"

"Who says I'm not going to charge rent?" Laxus growled from behind her, tickling her sides. Lucy screamed with laughter, falling backwards into his chest. "Not while I'm on the stairs!"

"Lucy, you _really_ shouldn't have told me where you're ticklish," Laxus said, fingers creeping towards her sides again. "When you leave yourself open like that…how can I resist?"

Running up the stairs, Lucy grabbed the next box, knowing that while she would be glad to move out of the apartment, she would still miss the place. It held so many fond memories…but it was time to move on, and make more memories. _And hopefully less chaos._

 *****Well...not my best. But I'm behind, it was the only idea I had, so I went with it. Still toying with a few ideas for "Games", so I can't promise when that will be out, but either tonight or tomorrow will be my bet.*****


	6. Games

**Games:**

 _In which Laxus and Lucy decide that a good way to spend time with their friends is through a game night._

"Hey, have you seen Candy Land?" Lucy asked, as she rummaged through the hall closet where the bulk of their board games were stored.

"Hun, that's a kid's game," the lightning dragon slayer called back from where he was unloading the bags of groceries that they had bought that afternoon in preparation for hosting a game night. "Remember, we didn't invite Wendy because we wanted to make sure that Charle didn't murder us for corrupting her."

Withdrawing briefly from the closet, Lucy yelled: "It's an adult's game too!"

"Monopoly is an adult's game. Scrabble is an adult's game. Uno…either way. You did put Cards Against Humanity out, right?"

"And Apples to Apples and a few puzzles," Lucy responded, before sighting the box she was looking for at the bottom of a dusty stack. "Found Candy Land!"

"You are _not_ allowed to put it on the table," Laxus threatened, moving into the kitchen doorway.

"It's the best game ever," Lucy countered, sticking her tongue out at him. "We get to reminisce about our childhoods and scream at each other when someone who's about to win gets sent back to the start."

Laxus sighed and took the game from her hands. "Fine, I'll put it on the table. But do we need to keep the puzzles?"

"Freed likes to do them," Lucy said as she moved into the kitchen to start working on the snacks they had promised the others. "And it's amusing to watch him do puzzles when he's drunk."

"As long as he doesn't bring Trivial Pursuit again," Laxus grumbled as he set to work shifting the furniture in the living room. "Last time he did that, war nearly erupted between you, Levy, and Freed."

* * *

"That's _it_ ," Lucy hissed with a sigh, tossing her handful of properties and the few crumpled bills she had been hoarding on the board, not caring about the houses she knocked aside. "You win Mira." _I thought we had all agreed_ _ **not**_ _to let her get Boardwalk_ _ **and**_ _Park Place. And what the hell happened to the alliance we agreed on while she was in the bathroom?_

Leaning back, Lucy glared at Laxus, who was lounging on the sofa behind her, watching Freed and Levy haggle over the Scrabble board. Levy was surrounded by what looked to be six dictionaries and a thesaurus, and from the looks of the chaos, there had already been an argument over the use of Freed's runes as words, seeing as how the specially crafted pieces were dumped unceremoniously on the ground next to the table.

"Don't blame me!" Laxus muttered. "She's a demon. I don't know how you lasted as long as you did."

"I can read all of your poker faces," Mira said cheerfully, counting the stack of money in front of her. "None of you can hide your plotting from me."

"It's a good thing we don't play poker then," Bickslow commented from where he was playing Uno with Cana, Erza, and Jellal, using the card mage's version of the game. "We'd be broke by the end of the evening."

"Can we play Trivial Pursuit now?" Lucy asked, wanting to thrash someone at a game for once in the evening. _And Levy and Freed won't abandon their Scrabble game, giving me a clear path to victory_ …

"NO," everyone in the room shouted, as Levy and Freed glared at the blonde.

"Ooookay then," Lucy muttered, looking over at the table full of games. "Candy Land anyone?"

Before anyone could answer, an angry shriek came from the tiny blunette at the Scrabble board as she upended it. "Freed Justine, one of these days I'm going to figure out how you keep leaving me with all the X pieces and stealing all the Triple Word Score spots," she hissed angrily as the rune mage calmly tallied up the scores.

"C'mere Shrimp," Gajeel said, pulling her into his lap. "Teach me how to play this Candy Land game Bunny suggested."

Sufficiently distracted, Levy's mood flipped in an instant. "Ooooh, this was my favorite as a kid! Can I be blue?"

Three hours, one near fist fight, and a ripped card later, Lucy carefully separated the various pieces they had been using as markers so that she could put the games away. After Levy's announcement, everyone had abandoned their other pursuits to play Lucy's favorite childhood game, and introduce it to the poor unfortunate souls that had been deprived of their childhood.

"At least Natsu's out on a job with Lisanna and Happy," Lucy commented to Levy under her breath as they cleaned up some of the games. "Otherwise, I have no doubt that the house would be on fire."

"Yeah, especially after Grey and Gajeel almost killed each other when Grey passed us at the Molasses Swamp," Levy giggled. "I'm just surprised it took so long for the Candy Hearts card to be ripped. Mira looked pretty demonic at that point."

"Who wants to play Risk?" Laxus called, brandishing the box. As nearly every hand in the room went up, Laxus raised his eyebrows as the number of players was far, far more than the number of colors. "Okay…tournament style? Split in half and we do top three from each game?"

Cana shook her head, taking a swig from her bottle. "Nah, couples. Bicks and I will take all of you on."

As it turned out, Erza and Jellal dominated. Even though they hadn't known the rules beforehand, the two were a quick study, easily conquering Fiore and wiping out couples in devastating turns. Shielding her eyes from the carnage, Lucy said turned to Freed and asked: "Want to do a puzzle? I think my brain needs a break."

Listening idly to the others playing a rowdy game of Cards Against Humanity, Lucy smiled softly, placing a piece into place. It was all thanks to Laxus that this group of people was gathered, for the sole purpose of spending time together. Without her relationship with him, she doubted whether or not she'd have formed such close bonds with the Raijinshu and their dates.

After the Cards Against Humanity game got too crazy to continue, Cana rummaged in her bag, pulling out a familiar piece of plastic. "Who's up for Twister?"

"Boys first!" Mira called, quickly picking up the cards to clear space for the mat.

Lucy had to stifle a giggle as she pictured Gajeel, Laxus, Jellal, Bickslow, Freed, and Grey contorted on the Twister mat. Levy pulled her over to the couch, where they were quickly joined by the other girls, watching as their men stood twitchily around the plastic, eying it as if it were about to burst into flames at any second.

By the time Bickslow collapsed trying to do his best impression of a human pretzel, knocking into Jellal, who had somehow gotten tangled up with Freed, and dislodging Grey's left foot, causing the surprisingly flexible ice mage to take out both dragon slayers from his awkwardly entwined position, the girls were in gales of laughter, tears streaming down their faces.

"Now it's your turn," the Seith mage called from the tangle of limbs on the floor. "You've had your laughs, time to pay the piper."

Five minutes into the game, Lucy wondered if Bickslow was _actually_ operating the spinner, or karma just had it out for them. Ten minutes later, she was certain that the men were simply calling out whatever moves they thought would make the girls even more snarled up.

Catching a glimpse of Laxus's smirk from the corner of her eye, Lucy started plotting payback. Raising her eyebrows at Cana, Lucy purposefully let her body drag against the brunette's as she shifted to rest her hand on the circle next to Levy's. Mira giggled quietly, and brushed up against Levy, who turned beet red, glanced shyly over at the couch where Gajeel was watching with a dumbstruck look on his face, and then made a point of brushing against Erza, who turned redder than her hair.

By the time one of the men stuttered something about the game being over, the girls had made it a competition to see who could be the most provocative in following the given direction. Yet as soon as they were given permission to stop, they collapsed on the mat in a pile of giggling, writhing limbs.

"I think that's enough for one night," Freed said faintly, doing his best to discreetly loosen his cravat.

"Erza and I should head out anyway, if I'm going to meet back up with the others in the morning," Jellal murmured through the wad of tissues he had to stop his nosebleed.

Even Grey, who was usually collected in situations like this, seemed to be losing his cool. "Juvia, we should probably leave too," he called, causing the bluenette to melt slightly.

Gajeel didn't bother with any excuses, just waded into the pile and slung Levy over his shoulder. "Thanks for hosting everyone, and we'll see you at the guild tomorrow." The little bluenette squirmed in his grasp, protesting as he carried her out the doorway, but she waved goodnight.

Their departure set the tone for the others, and in a matter of moments Laxus and Lucy were alone in the living room, Cana's Twister mat forgotten. Lying alone in the middle of it, Lucy studied Laxus for a few moments before dropping herself into his lap. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she whispered: "Want to play another game?"

His eyes darkened immediately. "Nope," he growled, and Lucy felt herself being picked up and carried up the stairs to their room. _Good,_ she thought, kissing him fiercely. _I didn't have the patience for that game either._

 *****Well then. I know, this is a day late. I'm sorry. But this idea was spawned last night, and then things got in the way, and then I had to look up the rules of these games and potentially adapt them. Which, by the way, I own NONE of these games. For any responsible, legal, adults, I present the rules to Cana's drinking game:**

 **1\. If you have to pick up a card, drink.**

 **2\. If you get skipped, drink.**

 **3\. If a Draw Two is played against you, drink twice.**

 **4\. If a Draw Four is played against you, finish your drink.**

 **5\. If you don't say "Uno" before someone calls you on it, finish your drink.**

 **In other news...at least a day's wait for "Prey". I have no idea what that will entail. Also...yeah. This chapter turned into myself, beta, and a friend of mine all trying to figure out the most ridiculous ways the Fairy Tail gang could play board games. And the madness above is only a fraction of what we came up with.*****


	7. Prey

**Prey:**

 _Just after the attacks by Tartarus._

"Wake up, human," demanded a woman's voice, and Laxus obediently opened his eyes to a dimly lighted room. He turned his head to the left to find the familiar furnishings of Porlyusica's home. Well, more recently it had become Fairy Tail's second infirmary if he was completely honest. With the guild hall being completely destroyed by Tartaros' attack anyone severely injured would have to be sent here until the guild could rebuild. At some point when they moved him, he had woken, and someone had explained what was going on.

"Took you long enough. But then again, you are a smelly human," the woman grumbled. Laxus looked down until he saw the old pink-haired woman standing at the foot of his bed with a scowl on her face. He couldn't really blame her, since she was forced to take care of him and his team after they had been poisoned by the Etherios. Now that he was awake, Laxus was sure that she would yell at him until he found a way to get all the smelly humans out of her home so she could have some peace and quiet once again. But being awake also meant that she had found a cure for the poisoning and that he was alive, so he ultimately decided that it was better to be alive and scolded then dead.

Porlyusica reached down and tossed a few pillows at his chest. "Now that you're awake, you might as well sit up." Laxus went to sit up, but found that his aching body would not allow him to move more than a few inches. Seeing his struggle, Porlyusica rolled her eyes and helped him sit up. "Must I do everything for you, boy? I thought you would be stronger when you woke up, but I guess that's what I get for overestimating human strength," she complained as she stuffed the pillows behind his back. She wasn't too picky when she did so, but Laxus was grateful to be sitting up instead of lying flat on his back.

"How do you feel?" Porlyusica asked as she quickly looked him over.

He wasn't about to tell her that he still felt extremely weak, but it would be near impossible to deny that he wasn't in any condition to leave the bed for a few days. The ache had settled deep in his bones and Laxus knew that between the fighting and poisoning he had gone well past his limits. "Tired, sore, but nothing too extreme," he settled with.

Frowning, the retired Fairy tsked him and walked back over to her work table. Laxus followed her motion with his eyes, but his gaze stopped on the forms of his teammates lying on three beds on the other side of the room. "Have they woken up yet?" he asked quietly.

"You're the first to wake," she replied. "Not surprising, considering the lacrima in your head helping you out. Those three aren't as lucky, but I'd say they'll be up within the next day or two. You'll all be tired for a while, so I wouldn't recommend you try anything stupid until you are all sure that you're back on your feet. And as soon as you are, you better be planning to get out of these woods and leave me alone for a while."

Laxus nodded as he processed the update. He was silently glad that the rest of his team would recover as well. They had always followed him into the chaos that came along with being a Fairy, but this time he wondered if all of them would make it back. Why they continued to follow him after being into thrown into so many dangerous situations would always confound Laxus, but every now and then he was reminded that being surrounded by his team was much better than wandering the world alone.

But his team wasn't the only people he was worried about. Being welcomed back into Fairy Tail had surprised him, and he had slowly grown interested in their well-being. He didn't know much about what had happened after the Etherion blast, outside of the knowledge that fights were taking place across the ruins of the floating castle, but there hadn't been time to inquire about Gramps or the rest. "And the rest of the guild? Did they make it?"

"If you're talking about the Etherion blast, everyone made it thanks to your foolish move. Beyond that, I haven't followed too closely. From what Wendy has reported, almost everyone has some minor injury, and those who actually fought the demons needed some major healing. Poor girl was worn out even before those idiots needed all that healing. Most of them just required some rest, but the flame menace, swordswoman, and ice stripper had seen the most damage."

"If Wendy's so exhausted, why haven't you gone to give her a hand?" Laxus wondered out loud.

Porlyusica sighed, probably frustrated that she had to put up with his questions. "I've already warned your old man that they leave her be to rest once she had taken care of the life-threatening injuries. Once she rests, she should be well-enough to deal with some of the smaller things and the rest of your guild can just recover on their own time. Besides, between the five of you I've had my hands full. Even though your stunts may have saved the town and the guild, it didn't make it any easier on me to save your sorry lives."

Laxus frowned, "The five of us? I thought the Raijinshuu were the only ones poisoned by the Etherion."

The old Fairy pointed with a nod of her head towards a bed to his right. "She was too big of a mess for Wendy to clean up on top of the rest of her team."

Laxus turned to see another blonde resting on a bed. She was pale, but seemed peaceful enough in her sleep. Most of her body was covered by a thick blanket, but he could still see a few bandages wrapped around her head and the upper part of her chest. "Woah, I've never seen Blondie so banged up after a fight. She usually has the rest of her psycho team watching after her. What happened?"

"Second degree burns on some places, torn up feet, bruised lungs, and magic exhaustion almost to the point of total depletion."

Depletion? Laxus didn't know Blondie had much power to begin with. He knew he probably shouldn't underestimate the mage based on her looks, and especially not after her victories against Bickslow and in the Grand Magic Games, but he had only seen her suffer from minor magic exhaustion afterwards. If she had been bad enough to impose on the human-hating-hag, things must have gotten bad during the fighting. "How long has she been like this?"

"Two days already. Her magic has only begun to recover from the depletion, which has already started causing another set of problems," Porlyusica explained as she selected two bottles from a shelf and poured each into a bowl.

As she started to mix whatever she was working on, Laxus felt a familiar swell of magic. It wasn't like those of his teammates, and with a look at the glowing form of the mage to the right of him, it had to be the Celestial Spirit mage. The glow faded but one of Lucy's spirits was not standing in-between the two beds. Loke, or Leo, or whatever the spirit went by now, stood tall in his black suit, arms crossed across his chest.

"And I take it that would be the problem you just mentioned?" Laxus smirked.

"I already told the pink haired one that your master is fine. All of you popping out just as soon as she has the tiniest hint of magic back is just going to hinder her recovery," Porlyusica sharply reprimanded.

Loke nodded, "I'm here on my own magic, but my apologies either way. I just needed to see for myself that Lucy would be alright, and when I go back I'll be sure to tell her other spirits to that she will recover over time. And without constant interruptions. Besides her magic depletion, how is she?"

"Her burns are healing slowly, but well, and whatever salve that other spirit brought for her feet is making things easier for the cuts and bruises. Under normal circumstances, she'd be awake by now and I could send her on her merry way, but this generation never takes the normal route so the magic depletion will make it a few more days before she comes around."

Loke sighed in relief. His hand gently brushed the cheek of his sleeping master and Laxus thought he saw a flash of guilt cross the spirits face. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone and Laxus found himself being judged by the former Fairy Tail member. Loke nodded slowly in a show of thanks and concern for his health, and Laxus returned in kind with thanks and an unvoiced promise to keep watch over the blonde. He didn't know what pushed him to make such a promise, but it just felt…right. Loke once again voiced his appreciation toward Porlyusica and disappeared into a stream of golden light just as she started reaching for her broom.

"If I see one more glare of golden light…" Porlyusica trailed off while gathering fresh bandages. Folding back the covers on Lucy's cot, she began to change the bandages encircling Lucy's knee. She gently lifted the Celestial mage's knee and unwrapped layer after layer of gauze. With each layer came a new colored stain, ranging from a pale yellow to a bright crimson red. Laxus couldn't help but stare as he finally saw the extent of Lucy's injuries.

"You didn't say that Blondie's knee was destroyed, Old Hag!" Laxus blurted out when his eyes saw a mess of muscle, skin, ligament, and bone that had been hiding under the bandages.

The healer in question glared at Laxus before returning to her task. "I seem to recall mentioning she was too much for the Sky Maiden to handle at the time."

"I thought you were referring to the magic depletion, not anything like this!"

"Trust me, boy, it was better for her to have come to me. As much as I loathe to admit it, this injury needed my attention before Wendy is able to do anything. Between the burns…"

"Burns?!" Laxus interrupted. "Did that idiot dragon slayer actually destroy his partner's knee in the crossfire?"

Porlyusica applied two salves to Lucy's knee before starting to rebandage it. "The rest of her team doesn't think so. No one at the guild of yours has any idea as to how she ended up in this state. You'll have to ask her yourself if you're so curious."

Laxus still didn't know why he cared so much about the blonde's injuries. "Will she be able to walk again with that knee?"

"Once Wendy is able to take a look at it, she should be fine. It'll hurt for some time right afterwards, and the pain will probably flare up every now and then, but she'll be able to walk again." Porlyusica sighed as she finished wrapping and pulled the covers to cover Lucy's currently frail frame.

* * *

It was three days before Lucy woke, and when she did, it was the middle of the night, and she was screaming bloody murder. Laxus sat bolt upright and was wobbling over to her as the others woke around them, each with a different look of alarm.

"No!" Lucy screamed, fighting against the blankets. "Please, no!"

Seizing her shoulders, Laxus shook her gently. "Come on Blondie, you're just having a nightmare. Snap out of it."

"Careful brat," Porlyusica snapped, appearing out of the darkness. "If you mess up my hard work, I'm dumping you on the doorstep regardless of whether or not you're healed."

"Lucy," Evergreen called from where she was still confined to her bed. "It's okay, you're with friends."

"Cosplayer, it's just a dream," Bickslow laughed as Lucy fought against Laxus's hold. "You won't want to get Laxus is trouble, will you?"

"Miss Heartfilia…" Freed began, but was interrupted as Lucy forced herself free of Laxus's grip and sat upright.

"Where is she? Where is she?" she cried, eyes searching blindly for someone in the cramped treehouse.

"Princess," A flash of magic, and Loke was there, kneeling on her cot and cupping her face in his hands, forcing the blonde to focus on him. "Shhhh Princess, I'm here."

"Loke," Lucy whispered, her voice raspy from disuse. "It really happened, didn't it?"

"Yes Princess," Loke said, and Laxus could see the deep sorrow in his face. "It did."

"You should be sleeping," Porlyusica complained grouchily. "Just had to wake everyone up with your hysterics."

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered, and Laxus could smell salt, and realized with a shock that the blonde was crying. "Loke…?"

"I'll be right by your side," the spirit promised, taking a seat on the floor next to Lucy's cot. "You won't be alone."

Feeling as if something immensely private was going on, Laxus slowly made his way back to his bed, signaling his team to go back to sleep. In the morning they might get an explanation, but for now, the best thing they could do was go back to bed.

Yet for a long time, he lay in the dark, listening to Lucy's almost silent sobs, wondering what could have happened to hurt the blonde so deeply.

He had his chance to talk to her in the morning, when Porlyusica turned them all out of the house so that they could get air. Laxus figured that the real reason was that the cantankerous woman just wanted to be rid of them for a few hours.

Freed was reading a book under a nearby tree, and Evergreen had gone for a short walk to the nearby creek. Bickslow was…whittling, Laxus thought, but it sounded as if he was just joking with his totems.

Lucy was sitting on a chair Porlyusica had brought out for her to sit on, staring blankly at a boulder, but Laxus could tell she wasn't actually looking at the boulder. Loke had been dismissed earlier, the blonde telling him to go back and regenerate. Concerned about how quiet the normally boisterous blonde was, the dragon slayer dropped down next to her. "So, want to catch me up on what happened out there?"

"Huh?" Lucy said, startled out of her thoughts. "Oh, it's just you."

Deciding not to take offense at her words, Laxus pressed on. "We've all been kinda out of it recently, and the old woman isn't forthcoming with details. I know that Tartarus attacked the guild hall and Cana got us all out in time, and obviously that we won, but nothing else."

"It was hell," Lucy whispered, eyes far away again. "We faced the demons of hell and just barely survived."

"So they were really demons from the books of Zeref?" Laxus asked, wanting confirmation of what he had heard.

"Yes," Lucy hissed, her face clouding with anger. "They were, and they're gone now. No thanks to me."

"Porlyusica said you had exhausted yourself magically," Laxus pried, curious about the anger. "Plus a bunch of burns and a few other things."

"What good did any of it do?" Lucy shouted, her hands clenching in fists. "I was just their damn prey, just like always. Even when I'm not the godsdamned target, I'm still no more of a threat than a child. I failed…I failed…"

Standing up, the blonde knocked over her chair as nearly fell over while reaching for her crutch. Laxus lunged to catch her, but she managed to get herself back upright and hobbled away towards the edge of the clearing. A flash of magic, and a pink haired woman was next to her, and the two were talking quietly as Lucy left his line of sight.

Confused, Laxus looked around, ignoring Bickslow's snickered: "Nice going Boss," as he tried to figure out what he had said that made the blonde so angry.

It would take a year and a half before any of it made sense.

* * *

Lying on his bedroll next to Lucy's Laxus thought about the mission they had completed earlier in the day. "Why does it always seem to be you that gets targeted?"

The blonde rolled over and smirked at him. "Because they think that a large chest and blonde hair makes me the damsel in distress."

"More like the damsel that brings distress," Bickslow called from across the way where he and his babies had rolled out their bedrolls. "I think you kicked him through three walls when he tried to touch you."

Lucy chuckled. "I look like easy prey. It's the best way for a predator to hide."

Chuckling with her, Laxus pulled her close for a quick kiss before pulling out the small box that he had purchased earlier that day when something in town had caught his eye. "It may not be the most romantic time to ask, but Lucy Heartfilia, would you marry me?"

Passing her the box, he watched her eyes light up as she saw the ring inside the box. "Oh Laxus," the blonde breathed, and the dragon slayer held his breath. _Does she not like the ring, or is it me?_

His worries were needless in a moment, when he was hit by the crying blonde form of his girlfriend. "Yes. Yesyesyesyesyes. And the ring is gorgeous, where did you find it?"

Slipping the ring onto her finger, Laxus brushed a kiss across her fingertips. "Today, when we were heading to the client's house. A vendor had them on display, and I thought the stone combination was perfect for you."

"A ruby, for my birth month, and a yellow citrine, I assume for you, and an amethyst…"

"As best as I can tell, an amethyst represents the months for those born under the sign of Aquarius," Laxus murmured as he held her close. "Since Aquarius brought us together, I think she ought to be a part of the ring."

Lucy kissed him again, and Bickslow called: "You two better mind your hands, or we'll have to put runes up to keep you apart."

"Shut up Bickslow," Laxus grumbled as Evergreen spoke up: "Lucy, I want to see the ring in the morning, or else. And Laxus, you couldn't have picked a better time to propose?"

"Laxus is free to choose whatever time he wishes…" Free began, and the arguments started flying fast and thick. Laxus was in no particular hurry to stop them, as Lucy was still peppering his face with light kisses, showing him how much she liked her ring…

* * *

Six months later they stood before Makarov in Cardia Cathedral, hand in hand with their guildmates gathered behind them. As Laxus looked into Lucy's warm brown eyes, he knew that the words of his vow were perfect.

 _I, Laxus Dreyar, take you, Lucy Heartfilia, as my lawfully wedded wife. We have walked many roads to bring us to this day, but my promise to you now is that you will never walk alone, for I will be by your side, in sickness and in health, in sadness and in joy, in wealth and in poverty, and for better and for worse. I pledge myself to you as your husband, until death do us part, and even beyond, because my love for you cannot be stopped by death. I will shield you from misfortune, just as I know you will stand beside me in times of trouble for you are a warrior yourself. For I am no longer my own, but yours in body and soul. This ring is a symbol of these promises, made before witnesses…_

 *****Annnnd this is late. Oops. Sorry everyone, but thanks for your patience! This concludes my offerings for LaLu Week 2016. Big thanks to my beta who wrote a good half of this entry and inspired the rest! Without her...I'd be in a lot more trouble than I usually. Now, on to the fun news.**

**Beta and I have decided that I can start posting the sequel to _Still Standing_ , which has been recently titled: _Frontlines_. We're going to differ from my usual posting timeline and post every other Friday if possible. Mainly because the chapters are MUCH longer than usual from me- we're only 9-10 chapters in and over 30,000 words. In terms of spoilers...the story will cover some of the material that's being released in the manga, but with my own spin. It begins three years after Tartarus, and approximately one year after _Still Standing_ ended.*** **

**P.S. Sorry that the formatting got all messed up! I have no idea what happened.**


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